You Know Her?

"Your Lordship, how was that little performance of mine? Pretty good, right?"

After they had walked some distance, Zhang Xinnian looked at Jiang Xiaobai and asked with a smug expression.

"It was fine, but you'd better rein it in."

Jiang Xiaobai paused briefly, looking utterly helpless. "You were a little too over the top back there."

"Too over the top?"

At that, Zhang Xinnian sank into thought, his brows furrowing as though he were earnestly reviewing his performance.

A moment later, Zhang Xinnian nodded solemnly. "All right, Your Lordship. I understand!"

"You understand again?"

The corner of Jiang Xiaobai's mouth twitched once more. In the end, he said, "Just remember one thing: unless I tell you to, don't go doing anything on your own."

"Yes, understood!"

Zhang Xinnian immediately cupped his fist, his expression utterly respectful.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Xiaobai ultimately said nothing more. He could only shake his head helplessly and continue walking.

They walked another stretch.

The view ahead gradually opened up.

A lake lay quietly spread out deep within the Imperial College.

Its waters were clear, and when a breeze passed over them, tiny ripples spread across the surface, reflecting the covered bridges and pavilions around it in a scene of exquisite serenity.

Along both shores, covered walkways connected to one another, winding and twisting.

Near the middle of the lake stood an elegant old building, outside which a large number of students had gathered.

As Jiang Xiaobai had walked here, he had been wondering.

Why were there so few people in such a vast Imperial College? It seemed nowhere near as lively as he had imagined.

Only when he reached this place did he finally understand.

Everyone had gathered here instead.

As he drew closer, the scene ahead gradually came into focus.

Right in the center of the crowd stood an enormous wooden board.

The board was painted black and covered with essays, their overlapping pages filling almost its entire surface.

Nearly everything the students gathered around it were discussing concerned the contents of that board.

"This 'On the Teacher' is truly remarkable. Its vision is so lofty!"

"Indeed, especially once the two parts are read together. That grandeur... it practically leaves you struggling for breath."

"'The tradition of learning from teachers has long gone untransmitted'... those few lines alone are enough to spread far and wide!"

"I thought yesterday's installment had already reached the pinnacle. Who knew the second part would make its standing even more secure!"

"It certainly deserves... first place. I just wonder who wrote it. The author must be a prodigy of the literary world!"

Standing outside the crowd and listening to their comments, Jiang Xiaobai could not help raising his brows slightly.

Just then, Zhang Xinnian rose onto his toes beside him and glanced at the wooden board. His eyes immediately lit up, and he lowered his voice. "Your Lordship, your essay is ranked first now!"

Only then did Jiang Xiaobai properly turn his gaze toward the top.

Sure enough.

"On the Teacher" was posted in the most conspicuous spot on the board!

And it sat firmly above everything else!

Although Jiang Xiaobai had known all along that an essay like "On the Teacher" would cause a tremendous stir once released,

he had never expected it to be pushed into first place at the Imperial College in so little time.

And to draw so many people to look at it and judge it.

Still, this was not enough.

He believed this essay would sooner or later spread throughout Capital City, and even across all of Great Hua!

"Heh, if it isn't the Jiang Family's heir?"

Just then, a surprised voice rang out behind Jiang Xiaobai.

Hm?

Jiang Xiaobai turned to look.

Not far away, a White-Clad Man was strolling toward him.

The man was handsome, his expression composed. With a folding fan in hand, he looked quite refined and graceful.

And Jiang Xiaobai was no stranger to that face.

It was the White-Clad Man he had met at the Poetry Gathering at the Chancellor's Residence.

Jiang Xiaobai gave him a couple of looks, then asked curiously, "Right, what was your name again?"

At those words, the smile on the White-Clad Man's face stiffened slightly. He slowly answered, "Zhou Chaomian."

"Oh."

Jiang Xiaobai nodded, then paid him no further attention.

At Jiang Xiaobai's attitude, a trace of displeasure clearly flashed through Zhou Chaomian's eyes, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Yet Jiang Xiaobai seemed not to notice at all and had already resumed looking around.

Before long, he spotted Li Zhiwei a short distance away in the crowd.

Several women stood beside Li Zhiwei, chatting with her.

Just as Jiang Xiaobai was about to walk over, Zhang Xinnian spoke. "Your Lordship, that woman has chased us here!"

Jiang Xiaobai turned back and saw a tall, slender figure approaching.

It was the woman at the entrance whom Zhang Xinnian had angered until her face darkened!

As the woman drew closer, the noisy voices around them actually seemed to grow a little quieter.

Many students involuntarily turned their eyes toward her.

Even Zhou Chaomian visibly tempered his expression when he saw her appear.

Hm?

Taking all of this in, Jiang Xiaobai could not help raising a brow.

Clearly.

This woman held no lowly position in the Imperial College.

Within those few brief moments, the woman had already reached them.

But from Jiang Xiaobai's perspective, she did not seem to be coming for him, since she was not looking his way.

Just as he let out a slight breath of relief, the woman shifted her gaze. The next instant, their eyes met.

Immediately, the chill in her beautiful eyes became almost undisguised. She stepped toward him and said, "Don't think you can get away. What happened just now... isn't over!"

As her voice fell, even the air around them seemed to grow colder.

After speaking, the woman swept a glance over Jiang Xiaobai and walked past him.

Huh?

Watching the woman's retreating figure, Jiang Xiaobai looked somewhat surprised.

Indeed.

He had thought that once this woman saw him, she would lose her temper on the spot.

Instead, she had merely left him with a single sentence before walking away.

Yet precisely because of that, Jiang Xiaobai became even more certain that this woman... was no ordinary person!

Otherwise, she would already have made a scene.

After all, there were plenty of people here. If she made a fuss, their spit alone could drown him.

The fact that she could suppress her anger under these circumstances showed that she was both sufficiently composed and sufficiently confident.

"Heir Jiang."

Just then, Zhou Chaomian, who stood beside him, suddenly chuckled, his tone distinctly amused. "Have you... offended this particular lady?"

Jiang Xiaobai glanced at him and said indifferently, "What, you know her?"

"Of course. She's no ordinary woman!"

As he spoke, Zhou Chaomian glanced in the direction the woman had gone, then looked back at Jiang Xiaobai, his lips curving slightly. "A word of advice."

"If you have no other business today, you'd best leave the Imperial College early."

"Otherwise... you may find it difficult to leave later, even if you want to."

At this point, Zhou Chaomian paused briefly. The mockery on his face faded somewhat as he looked toward the wooden board, his expression turning serious.

"You saw that essay ranked first, 'On the Teacher,' didn't you?"

"By my reckoning, that essay was probably written by her..."